As 2022 draws to a close and we set our sights on 2023, I’ve begun to switch gears and think ahead to what I want the next year to look like for our family. So today I’m once again sharing a fantastic FREE goal setting workbook for you!
It’s called Be Intentional: A Vision Casting and Goal Setting Workbook for 2023. And it’s a beautiful, 18-page workbook for moms who want to be intentional with their time and relationships in 2023. And I’m so excited to share it with you!
THE BIRTH OF BE INTENTIONAL
The year was 2020, and we were all absolutely burnt out from 9 solid months of doom and gloom news stories, masking, social distancing, and hearing the words “unprecedented.” But as we prepared to welcome 2021 — all hopeful that a new year would mean an end to the pandemic– I realized that I had let what was happening in the world affect my trust in God.
And as we prepared to ring in 2021, I was committed to not only being more content no matter the circumstances, but also to being intentional about I spent my time, my relationships, and my emotions. So I began to ask these questions:
Am I hanging my hope on the things of this world or on placing it in God’s sovereign hands?
Am I putting my trust in things I can control or in the One who breathes life into me?
Is my joy contingent on my circumstances or, like Paul, have I learned to be content no matter what is happened to me or around me?
It was kind of a paradox: 2020 reminded me that there’s not much I actually have control over and yet that’s the very reason I need to set goals that will lead me into living a more thoughtful, intentional life.
GOAL SETTING & VISION CASTING FOR 2023
This year, the news has been filled with the war in Ukraine instead of the pandemic, but the questions are the same. And my response should be the same, too.
No matter how strained inflation makes us feel, I can choose the words I speak to my children carefully. No matter how insecure my husband’s job is, I can trust the Lord with tomorrow and show my children what that trust looks like. No matter how depressing the news is, I can open my Bible and soak in God’s rich truth.
I can choose to intentionally set my eyes on Jesus, to find joy in all circumstances, to grow spiritually even as the enemy shoots flaming darts my way. I can choose to pursue ideas that will enrich my life and the atmosphere of our home. I can choose to speak words of life and love to my children, to nurture their minds and hearts, to rise to the idea of the great work committed to me as a mother.
It starts with prayer.
And it starts with intentionality.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT THIS GOAL SETTING WORKBOOK
- It’s not just for homeschool moms. I wrote this workbook with fellow stay-at-home and/or homeschooling moms in mind (because I am one). However, even if you’re not a homeschool mom, this workbook will still be useful to you, because you can simply skip over the few school sections. Or use those sections to write goals for your kids in public or private school.
- Cultivating the Fruits of the Spirit. In the personal vision casting section, I included an area called “Fruits of the Spirit I Need to Cultivate.” Please understand that I KNOW the fruits listed in Galatians 5 are, in fact, the work of the Holy Spirit in us. We cannot fabricate those fruits, only God can grow them in us. However, like any gardener knows, there are many things we can do to cultivate an environment that encourages those fruits to grow. So as you think through which Fruits of the Spirit you may be lacking, also think through which habits you need to either break or form to make room for the Spirit to work.
- Pray first. And finally, remember that before you even pick up your pen to begin writing, the best thing you can do is pray. Ask God to give you clarity. Ask Him to reveal any sin issues you need to work on, any unhealthy habits you need to break, any ways that you’re quenching the Spirit. Ask Him to give you a vision for your family’s life over the next year, and to show you ways you can cultivate a life-giving home. When you ask, He is faithful to show you the way.
I genuinely hope and pray that this blesses you as you look ahead to 2023.
